“Know you could tumble any second. Then decide what to do with your time.” – Naomi Shihab Nye

It has been a very interesting 24 hours. I arrived home from work last night to find my husband opening windows and the fire alarm going. The house was full of smoke and he was trying to figure out where it was coming from. Very quickly we discovered smoke pouring out of a crack in one wall. It was scorching hot to the touch, and I could hear crackling when I put my ear close.

One call to 999, ten firemen, two fire trucks, one thermal imaging camera, and three and a half hours later, we were left standing alone in our house counting our blessings. (And not sleeping a wink!) We had had a chimney fire that had moved into the wall. Another few minutes and we would have had a serious fire, but luckily we, our things and our house are okay. All we have to show for the evening is a house covered in ash and soot and scorch marks on one wall and the edges of a carpet. The whole fire was contained within the wall. It was very very very scary, and we are shaken, but deeply grateful that the whole evening turned out as it did.

If I’m not here for a few days it’s because I am washing everything! I don’t mind though, I’m thankful that I have things to wash!

xo

What you can plan
is too small
for you to live.

-David Whyte

“Once a desire has been born within you, you must look at the desire if you are to feel good. And the reason for that is, you cannot revert back to less than life has caused you to become.” - Abraham Hicks

I have posted this image before on my old blog, but I came across it again this morning and it felt as true to me as it did several years ago, so I wanted to post it again. I’m sure you have all had the experience of seeing an image and it being you – well that is what this picture is for me – it’s me!

I’m taking this whole happily ever after thing very seriously, but what I have had to realize is that I am also a seeker by nature. I love a good quest, a good nose, a good search. I think that the issue has been that I have been looking outside of myself for me. Now I am seeking the me at my core: the one that packs light, has wings and comes from a place of joy and connection.

When I was a teacher I used to tell over-exuberant students to use their ‘inside’ voices. I guess I should have taken my own advice and used my own. Lesson learned!

(Image by Joanna Powell Colbert. Click on it to be taken to her website.)